Method of and machine for the internal winding of wire



Ju 9, 1935. I 1,541,189 7 F. W. SICKLES METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR THE INTERNAL wmnme 0F WIRE Original Filed May 6, 1922 ym KQI IQ INVENTOR.

, ATTORNEY.

Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,541,189 PATENT OFFICE,

FRANK W. SICKLES, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF AND IVIACHINE THE INTERNAL WINDING OF WIRE.

Application filed May 6, 1922, Serial No. 559,044. Renewed November 7, 1924.

Z '0 all whom may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK V. SIGKLEs, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, and a resident of Springfield, in thecounty of l'lampdon and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Method of and Machine for the Internal Winding of Wire, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in methods of and machines for winding wire in the interior of hollow objects. The method resides in mechanically feeding wire through a guiding member into one end of the opening in the object to be inlaid with said wire, after first'at-taching or anchoring the leading end of the wire to'the object, in causing said object to be rotated on its axis by the action of the wire fed into the same, and in moving said guiding member further and further into said opening and tilting said member to the extent'required to lay the wire evenly and uniformly in the opening as far'as may he necessary, the wire then being severed and the severed end or ter minal' fastened or anchored to the object; ant the machine consists essentially of a rotatablyn 1ounted holder for the object in which the wire is tobe wound, certain peculiar guiding and feeding mechanism for the wire, such mechanism including a flexible drivingconnection, a loose or movable support, and stopping and starting means for the members which engagethe wireto actuate the same forwardly, together with such other parts and members as may be necessary or desirable in order to render the machine complete and serviceable in every respect, all as hereinafter set forth.

Much diliiculty has heretofore been experienced in winding wire evenly and uniformly against the interior surfaces of hollow objects, such as the blocks of v ariometer stators, and one object of my invention is to provide a method of winding such objects, or hollow objects having surfaces that are partially spherical, conicalfor even cylindrical, whereby the winding operation is greatly expedited and facilitated, and the results provided are uniform and accurate. My method is simple, efficient, practicable, and requires only ordinary skill in the practice or exercise thereof.

Another object is to produce a. machine with which such windings of the character described can be effected expeditiously and with great precision. The coils of wire introduced int-o a stator blocker other object having therein an opening the sides of which are partially or semispherioal, or a conical opening, or into'a hollow cylindrical object, are laid evenly and uniformly side by side on the interior surface of the object.

Still another object is to produce a ma chine of this character which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in construction, is easy to control and manipulate, and can be readily operated by an ordinary workman. v 1

A further object is to provide the guidin'g'mechanism of the machine with means for holding temporarily the'wire in place as or while being laid or wound.-

Other objects and advantageswill appear in the course of the following description.

I attain the objects and serure the advantages of my invention by and with the aid of the mechanism illustrated in the accom panying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front or inner end elevation of the work holder of a machine which embodies a practical form of the mechanical element of my invention, showing a stator block in su;h holder, in which block there is a complete inlay of wire as: introduced by the method and said machine; Fig.2, a top plan of said machine, parts being broken out for the purpose of economizing space and disclosingelements which would otherwise be hidden; Fig. 3, an enlarged, bottom plan of the wire-guiding and holding parts at thefree end of the tubular guide for the wire, includin the free end portion thereof; Fig. 4:, an enlarged, cross section taken on lines'ar:v, looking down, in Fig. 3, except that the parts are normally disposed, instead of being turned bottom side up as in the preceding view; Fig. 5, a front elevation of said machine, the large handle being in section, and, Fig. 6, a detail of the feed mechanism of the machine, as viewed from the left-hand side. r, 7

Similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout the several views.

In Figs. 2 and 5 the machine elements that are operated and moved about directly by hand are shown in approximately the positions in which they would be held and disposed by the hands of the operator while in the act of introducing the wire into the hollow object, at the beginning of the winding dislcfi provided on its inner face with four operation, which is an important step in the method.

In the present'exainple, a stator block represented at 1, is the object into which it is assumed wire being wound by my method and on which my machine is operating. It is to be understood, however, that the method and machine are by no means limited to the winding of wire on the interior of stator blocks.

The method, which I will take up first, is described generallyas follows:

A hollow object, such as the block 1, is loosely mounted for rotation on its axis, one end of the wire which is to be wound into such object is fastened or anchored thereto, usually at a point adjacent to one end of the opening therein, or adjacent to the large end of such opening provided the opening be conical or semi spherical, said wire is then forced forwardly against the anchorage into the object, so that the latter is caused to revolve and said wire to belaid against the surface of said opening, and said wire is guided at its constantly varying point of contact with the object farther and farther into the object, and with a tilting movement, (except in the case of a cylindrical opening when the tilting movement would be omitted), .until the opposite end of the opening is reached or approached, when said wire is cut and the cut terminal fastened or anchored to the object. There might be instances, however, where one or both terminals of the wire inlay would be secured outside of the object in which the inlay was located, but ordinarily, and especially in the construction of stators and the like, both terminals of the wire are passed through the stator blocks.

Thus it is seen that my method involves, besides the fastening or anchoring steps, the feeding of the wire into the hollow object, the rotation of such object by the action of the wire fed into the same, and the guiding of the wire to place in such object during the feeding operation. These steps involve the employment of mechanical elements and also of the hands of the operator.

1 will next describe the machine:

A suitable support or bed, as 2, must h provided for the machine, and such support may consist of a bed plate, bench, or other stable element having a flat top.

Mounted on and secured to the bed 2, adjacent to the left-hand end and front edge thereof, is a standard 3 which is provided on top with a pair of bearings 4 for a shaft 5. The shaft 5 is loosely journaled in the bearings 4, and is parallel with the front edge of the bed 2. Secured to the inner terminal of the shaft 5, which terminal extendsbeyond the right-hand bearing 4:, is a lugs '7 which are equidistant apart. The adj acentfaces of the lugs 7 are straight, and the stator block 1 is receivable between said lugs. One of the lugs 7 is provided with a set-screw 8 which is radial to the axis of the disk 6, and adapted when tightened to engage the adjacent side of the block 1, when said block is between said lugs, and assist in holding the block in place. The shaft 5, the support for such shaft, and the (li-i 6 with its lugs 7 and the set-screw 8, constitute a holder for the stator block 1 while the latter is being operated on by the machine. The disk 6 is free to revolve, except for the presence of a brake, drag, or other means for providing frictional resistance, such as a strap 9. Some change in the construction of what may he termed the head of the holder is necessary, of course, in order to adapt the same for; objects other than stator blocks. 7

The strap 9 has its lower terminal secured to the front and back sides of the base of the upright 3, and passes over the shaft 5, being drawn suiiiciently tight to exert a certain amount of frictional resistance on said shaft. The purpose of the strap or drag 9 is to prevent the holder, with the stator block carried thereby, from rotating by its own momentum at the end of the inlaying operation, and thus causing the inlay to unwind, which latter contingency would be fatal to the success of the machine. The drag 9 does not, however, exert sufficient force to interfere materially with the rotation of the shaft 5 during the inlaying operation.

Mounted on and secured to the bed 2, in a plane parallel with andat the right of the disk 6, is a post 10, and mounted on and secured to said bed, in a plane parallel with and to the right of said first-named plane, is a base 11 from which rise a pair of bearings 12. The post 10 and the base 11 are adjacent to the rear edge of lhr bed 2.

A supporting arm 13 has its rear terminal connected. by means of a link 14, with th post 10, and extends forwardly to a posi tion adjacent to the front edge of the bed :2 Pivotally connected at-15 with the front end of the arm 13 is a sleeve 16. The arm 13- being connected as it is by the link 14 w the post 10, is free to swing up and 'down and to the right and left.

A shaft 17 is journaled 1n the bearings 12, with its axis at right-angles to the axis of the shaft 5, and a pulley 18 is secured to said first-named shaft between said beau ings. The pulley 18 is designed to be driven from a motor or other suitable source of power (not shown). A'fleXible-shaft 19 has its rear terminal connected by a coupling 20 with the front terminal of the shaft 1'7, and its front terminal connected by a conpiing 21 the rear terminal of a shaft The shaft 22 is journaled iii a bearingsleeve 23, and has a friction roll 2% secured thereon hetween adjacent ends of said sleeve and the eouplizrfigQl. The hearing-sleeve '23 is nioented intermediate of its ends *on an arm and 'i ivota-lly :cen nected at 26 with said aih'l.

The area '25 extends to the left from a vertical support or bloek 27. Extend i ng; forwardly from the left and righth and edges of the block 27 are two arms 28 a n d respectively. The arms 28 are intern iec li-ate ly located relative to the top "and bo'ttom edges of the blo'ck 27 and said arms are traai sversely perforated, the perforations the-reiii being" in the same straight lieosely journal-ed in the hlo'ck '27 are upper and Under "sh af ts and 31, respectively. The shafts 30 and 31 are a plane which is at iright-ai igles to the plane in which the passages thIOUQlllth-G arms 28 and 29 are l0- c'ated. I

Secured on the shafts 30 and 31, behind the block 27,4111, two interine'shing gears 32, and secnred'on said shaft 31 behind the gear thereon is a frietion' disk -33. The friction disk is in position t0 be contacted with by the friction roll 24. Secured to the shafts 30 and 31 in front at the b-Idc'k 27, are two driving or feed Wheels 34, said Wheels having gr oved peripheries. A spirail spr fng 35 has its up er and lower ends attached to the shafts 30 air-M131, respectively, in from or the feed Wheels 34, forth e purpose of actuating the forward terminals of said sh afts toward each other, and thus causing said driving heels to grip between them an insulated W'ire, 36, "er, in other Words, for the pui p'o se of affording a yielding grip for said wire end for the ace-eninio'dati'on of wires of different sizes. 1

' A tubular guide 37 has its right-hand e'nd intimated into the o ening in the arm 28, yvh'erein it is secii'i'ed by in'eaii's of a set-screw 38 which ftapped into the front end of said arin,-an'd 's'a-id giiide extends to the left froin said arm and throughthe sleeve 16'. The sleeve 16 is secured te the guide 37 by means ef a set sc'fre'w 39, "tapped into the from side of said sleeve. The guide 37 has its lefthand terminal beyond the sleeve 16, curved downwardl and rearwa dl substantiall as shown. The underside of the free-end portion of the curved part of the guide 37 is chanifered as represented at 40'. A uide finger 41 extends from thef reeend of the curved part of the guide 37. The guide:- finger 41 is aiigfilar in 'cross sectioiiand shaped 'stihst'ah-tially as "shown. The pas sage in the guide '37 opens into the angle formed by the two side members of the guidefinger 41, as shewn in Fig; 4. The aforesaid side' merribers comprise or cure a tep team a side 67-.-Wheh the finger is disposed ii: operative I position, the "side 57 is Eat the left h'ahd "of the top 56, or in ti ansp'esed position to that occupied by the same in Fig. 4.

A handle 42 is mounted on the 'gaide 37 'he tween the arm 28 and the sleeve 16. There is also mounted on the guide 37, at the left of the 'hancl le 127, a bracket du' r i ia-led in the forwarc'l portion of the ?bracke't 433 is an engi vlar member which comprises crank-arm 4st 'belew and a handle 45 above. The c1"=a nk;ar1n 4% extends rearwardly and to the right, While the handle 45 extends forwardly and to the right. A draw-cord or Wire 46 has its left-hand terminal attached at 47 to the free end oft'h-e crahlea-rin 4:4. The right-hand terminal of the draw- Wire 46 is attached 4:8 to thetaof the hearing-sleeve 23 adjacent to the f i eh t :eiid of said sleeve.

A spring 49 has one terminal attached at to the left-hand edge of the block 27 a bove the arm 25; an said spring is arranged to bear with its terminal against l== el rind the pivot 26, so that said sleeve noi-i n'ally retained in suc h a pesitienas th hold the friction roll '24 Out of contact with the friction disk 33. I

le 'llen the pulley I8 is in motion, the frietion roll 24 is caused to 'rev elve by the intervening couplings 20, flexible-shaft 19, and shaft 22. If, therefore, the handle 43 be swung reward the handle 42-, the crank-arm M: is actuated farther the left, and earries with it the drai'v-"wire 4:6, with the result that said Wire causes the front terminal Of the bearingsleeve '23 to be actuated in the same direction, said sleeve wingin on the pivot 26, against the resiliency of the spring 49, and the revolving friction roll to he thrust hard against the friction disk 33, thereby setting the latter in motion When the friction disk 33 is this set in motion, it carries with it the shaft with the gear 32 thereon, and said gear causes the upper gear and the shaft 30 to revolve owing to the presence of the intermeshin g gears 32, the shafts 30 and '31 revolve atth'e same rate of speed and in opposite directions. The revolving shafts 30 and carry with them the feed Wheels 3 said Wheels rotating in the direction of the arrows in Fig. Upon releasing the handle 45, the spring; 19 immediately acts to swing the hearing-sleeve 23 back into its former position, which movementearries the fri tionro11 eiawa from the frietioh disk 33. This steps airtime i is movement oi": the members driven t the fr'i'c ti'en disk 33, including the feed Wheels 34.

Initially the Wire 36 is drawn off of a spool 01 reel, 01'' 'fr'oin some other suitable source of supply, has its leadingend passed through the opening iii thegu'iee 21111129, between the feed wheels 34, to the adjacent end ofthe tubular guide 37, and through said guide until such end emerges beneath the guide-finger 4E1. When the wheels 34 are in motion they act directly on the reach of wire which is between the arms 29 and 28, and force said wire forwardly through the guide 27 and out into the guide-finger ii.

The stator block 1 is provided, at the large end of the opening therein, with a flange 51 to serve as an abutment for the wire inlay, and said block is bored through two sides to form the usual wire-terminal passages, one adjacent to such flange and the other adjacent to the small end of said opening. After the block 1 has been placed in posi tion in the holder, the free terminal of the wire 36 is thrust through the passage in said block which is adjacent to the flange 51, substantially as shown at 52'. All is now in readiness to proceed with the winding process.

The leading terminal of the wire being anchored (so to speak) at 52 to the block 1, the operator grasps the handle 12 in his right hand and the curved part of the guide 37 in his left hand, introduces the guide-finger 41 into the same block, and places the free end of said finger immediately adjacentto the passage through which the free terminal of the wire 36 has been passed, necessarily forcing more of such wire through such passage at the time, and with the thumb of his left hand operates the handle 4C5 to connect the driving mechanism with the feed mechanism. The feed wheels 341 immediately com- Inence to actuate the wire 36 to the left or forwardly, with the result that said wire, as it is forced out of the left-hand end of the guide 87, beneath the guide-finger top 56 and inside of the guide-finger side 57, is laid within the block 1, first a coil just inside of the flange 51, and then inside of said coil another coil, and so on, one coil after another, said block with the disk 6 meanwhile being rotated, with the shaft 5 revolving in the bearings 41. The revoluble members are rotated because the wire, as the same is fed into the block 1 from the guide 37, imparts to said block an impulse or thrust which causes the block to revolve or turn on its axis. As the wire is thus fed into the block 1, the operator guides and directs said wire with the guide-finger 11, so that the wire is properly laid within the semispherical open- 1ng in said block. During the feeding operation and the guiding of the wire with the guide-finger 11, the operator swings the handle 42 and the guide 37 to the left, and

' tilts the same, to whatever extent may be necessary in order properly to inlay the wire. The arm 13 and the flexible-shaft 19 permit the guide 37 to be manipulated to whatever extent may be required for the proper winding of the wire within the block 1. The forward portion of the driving mechanism and the feeding mechanism necessarily move with the guide 37.

As minor steps in the method, which, however, are of considerable importance, are the holding of one or more of the lastly wound coils of the wire against the surface that receives the wire inlay, and holding the last complete coil of the wire as it is being formed into a new coil, simultaneously the one with the other and with or as subsidiary steps, in the major steps of said method.

The guide-finger top 56 is wide enough to extend over one or more coils or wire immediately to the right of the coil in process of being laid, after the first coil has been laid, and temporarily holds the coil or coils thus engaged in place, otherwise some difficultymight be experienced due to the slipping of said first-named coil or coils. And the guide-finger side 57 holds the wire being wound to form a new coil in place' against the last completed coil, so that said wire can not get out of place, and is laid evenly against said completed coil. The chamfer 40 is provided for the-purpose of preventing the free terminal of the guide 37 from interfering wit-h the wire during the winding operation. 7

After the opening within the block 1 has been lined to the required extent with the wire, the operator releases the handle 45, and thus disconnects the driving mechanism from the feeding mechanism. The forward movement of the wire now ceases. Simultaneously the motion of the rotary parts of the holder is stopped by the action of the drag 9 on the shaft 5. The innermost coil of the wire is now held by the operator while he swings the handle 4-2 and the parts and members attached to the arm 13 and connected with the flexible-shaft 19 to the right. This action draws off a short length of wire, and said wire is cut near the guide-finger 11. The length of wire thus left, which is represented at 53 in Fig. 1, is thrust through the other passage inthe stator block, which passage is indicated by dotted lines 54: in said view, but not until the set-screw 8 has been loosened and said block removed from between the lugs 7. The stator is now complete.

l/Vhen not in use the parts and members of the machine, which are attached to and connected with the arm 13 and the flexible shaft 19, are laid on the bed 2. V

The direction of the motion imparted to the block 1 and the revolving members of the holder for such block, by the wire during the feeding and winding operations, is indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the feeding and guiding of the wire, and the consequent rotation of the object into which the wire is fed and guided, are partly dependent on and produced by themechanical feeding and guiding elements, and are partly dependent on and produced by the hands of the operator, so that this combination of approximately simultaneous cooperative and coactive steps of the method involves both mechanical and manual actions,

It is possible that some other mechanical agencies might be substituted for those herein shown and described.

The guiding feature of the method will vary somewhat in winding wire into objects wherein the openings differ. in size and shape, but such variation is comparatively slight and does not materially alter the method.

In winding wire into a hollow cylinder, the leading terminal of the wire is usually anchored to the cylinder adjacent to the outer end thereof, and the winding process is proceeded with in substantially the same manner as hereinbefore explained, the wire when severed usually being anchored to the cylinder at the inner end of the inlay, as in the other cases.

More or less change in the shape, size, construction, and arrangement of some or all of the parts of this machine, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, or exceeding the scope of what is claimed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A method of winding wire into hel low objects, consisting in simultaneously feeding wire into a hollow object, guiding the wire fed therein, and rotating said object by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same.

2. A method of winding Wire into hollow objects, consisting in simultaneously mechanically feeding wire into a hollow object, manually guiding the wire fed therein, and rotating said object by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same.

3. A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation, and in simultaneously feeding and guiding wire into said object and causing the latter to rotate by the action of the wire fed into the same.

4-. A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation, and in simultaneously mechanically feeding and manually guiding wire into such object and causing the latter to rotate by the action of the wire fed into the same.

5. A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation, in anchoring one terminal of a wire, and in simultaneously feeding and guiding said Wire into said object and rotating the latter by the action thereon of the wire" fed into the same. i 6, A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation, in anchoring one terminal ofa wire, in simultaneously feeding and guiding said wire into said object and rotating the latter by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same, in severing the wire, and in anchoring this severed terminal. 7

7 A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation, in attaching one terminal of a wire to said object, and in simultaneously feeding and guiding said wire into said object and rotating the latter by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same.

A method of winding Wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation on its axis, in attaching one terminal of a wire to said object, in simultaneously feeding and guiding said wire into said object and rotating the latter by the action thereon of-the Wire fed into the same, in severing the wire, and in attaching this severed terminal to the object.

9. A method of-winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely-mounting a hollow object for rotation, in anchoring one end of a wire, and in simultaneously n'iechanieally feeding and manually guiding said wire into said object and rotating the latter 'by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same.

' 10. A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation, in anchoring one terminal of a wire, in simultaneously mechanically feeding and manually guiding said wire into said object and rotating the latter by theaction thereon of the wire fed into the same, in severing the wire, and in anchoring this severed terminal.

11. A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely mounting ahollow object for rotation, in attaching one terminal of a wire to said object, and in simultaneouslymechanically feeding and manually guiding said wire into, said object'and rotating the latter by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same.

12. A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation, in attaching one terminal of a wire to said object, in simultaneously mechanically feeding and manually guiding said wire into said object and rotating the latter'by the action thereon ofthe wire fed into the same, in

severing the wire, and in attaching the severed terminal to the object.

13. A method of winding wire into hollow objects, conslsting in loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation, in feeding wire into said object through a guide, and causing the object to rotate by the actlon thereon of the wire fed into the same, and in manually swinging said guide into said object to lay said wire coil after coil therein.

142. A method of winding wire into hollowobjects, consisting in loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation, in anchoring one terminal of a wire, in feeding said wire into said object through a guide, and causing the object to rotate by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same, and in manually swinging said guide into said object to lay said wire therein coil after coil.

15. methodof Winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely mounting a: hollow object for rotation, in anchoring one terminal of a wire, in feeding said wireinto said object through a guide, and

causing the object to rotate by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same, in

manually swinging said guide into said ob eject to Elay said wire coil after coil therein,

in severingthe wire, and in anchoring this severed terminal. 7 1

16. A method of winding wire into hollow. objects, consisting in loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation, in feeding wire through a guide into said object, and causing. the object to rotate by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same, and in manually swinging said guideinto said object and tilting said guide to lay said wire coil after coil therein. i

17. A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in. loosely mounting a hollow object for rotation, in anchoring one: terminal of a wire, in feeding said wire through a guide into said object, and causing the object to rotate by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same, and infmanually swinging said guide into said object and tilting said guide to lay said wire coil after-coil in the object.

18. A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in loosely mounting a hol low object for rotation, in anchoring one terminal of a wire, in feeding said wire through a guide into said object, and causingthe ob ect to rotate by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same, in manually swinging said guide into said object and] tilting said guide to lay said wire coil after coil in the object, in severing the wire, and in anchoring this severed terminal. a

19. A method of winding wire into hollow obj ects, consisting in simultaneously feeding wire into a hollow object, guiding the wire fed therein, and rotating said object by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same, andmeanwhile in holding one or more com pletcd coils against the surface being inlaid.

20. A method ofwinding wire into hollow objects, consisting in simultaneously feed= ing wire into a hollow object, uiding the wire fed therein, and rotating said object by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same, and in meanwhile holding the wire being formed into a new coil against the last completed coil. 7

21. A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in simultaneously feeding wire'into a 'hollow'object, guiding the wire fed therein, and rotating said object by the action thereon. of the wire fed into the same, and meanwhile'in holding one or more completed coils against the surface being inlaid, and holding the wire being formed L into a new coil against the last completed coil. V

22. A method of winding wire into hollow objects, consisting in feeding wire into a hollowobject, and rotating said object by the action thereon of the wire fed into the same. 7 i

23. The combination, in a machine of the class described, with rotatable holder members, of a movable guide for wire, and means to feed wire through said guide, said holder members being rotated by the thrust from the wire fed into an object carried by said members.

24-. The combination, in a machine of the class described, with rotatable holder members, and retarding means for said members, of a guide for wire, feed mechanism for such Wire, and means to enable said guide to be supported in varying operative positions relative to an object carried bysaidholder members, said holder members being rotated by the thrust from the wire fed into an object carried by said members. 7'

25. The combination in a machine'of the class described, with rotatable holder mem bers, of a guide for wire, feed mechanism for such wire, and means to enable said guide to be supported in varying operative positions relative to an ob ect carried by said holder members, said means consisting in part of arm loosely connected at one end and having said guide connected therewith at the other end.

26. The combination, in 'a machine. of the class described, with rotatable holder members, of a guide for wire, feed mechanism for such wire, and meansto enable said guide to be supported in varying operative positions relative to an object carried by said holder members, said means consisting in part of 'a flexible-shaft connected with said feed mechanism, and driving means'for said shaft.

27. The combination, in a machine of theclass described, with rotatable holder members, of a guide for wire, feed mechanism for such wire, and means to enable said guide to be supported in varyingoperative positions relative toran object carried by said holder members, such means consisting in part of an Cil arm loosely connected at one end and having said guide connected therewith at the other end, and consisting in part of a flex ible-shaft connected with said feed mechanism, and driving means for said shaft.

28. The combination, in a machine of the class described, with rotatable hoider members, of a guide for wire feed mechanism for such wire, driving means for said mechanism, such driving means consisti In part of a flexibleshaft, means to en age said driving means with said feed mechanism and disengage the same therefrom, and a movable supporting member for said guide, whereby the latter ma be operati-vely positioned relative to an object carried by said holder members.

29. The combination, in a machine of the class described, with a post, an arm loosely connected with said post, a driving shaft and pulley, supporting means for said shaft, and a flexible-shaft connected with said driving shaft, of wire-feeding mechanism adapted to be driven from said flexible-shaft, and a tubular guide atone terminal with said mechanism, and connected adjacent to the opposite :terminal with said arm.

30. The combination, in a machine of the class described, with a post, an arm having one terminal loosely connected with said post, a sleeve p'ivotally connected with said arm at the opposite end, a driving pulley and shaft, supporting means for said shaft, and a flexible-shaft connected with said driving shaft, of wire-feed mechanism adapted to be driven from said flexible-shaft, and a tubular guide connected at one terminal wit-h said mechanism, and connected adjacent to the opposite terminal with said sleeve.

31. The combination, in a machine of the class described, with a post, an arm loosely connected at one terminal with said post, a driving shaft and pulley, sup-porting means for said shaft, :1 flexible-shaft connected at one terminal with said driving shaft, a driven shaft connected with the other terminal of said fiexible-shaft, and a driving member secured to said driven shaft, of feed mechanism for wire, such mechanism consisting in part of a driven member in operative position relative to said driving member, a bearing-sleeve for said driven shaft, said sleeve being pivotally mounted intermediate of its ends, a spring arranged normally so to position said sleeve as to locate said driving member out of contact with said driven member, a tubular guide for such wire, said guide having one terminal connected with said mechanism, and being connected adjacent to the opposite terminal with said arm, a bracket on said guide, an operating member mounted in said bracket, and a connecting member between said operating member and said bearing-sleeve, whereby the latter may be actuated, against the resiliency of said spring, to force said driving member against said driven member.

32 The combination, in a machine of the. class described, with a supporting arm loosely connected at one terminal, a flexibleshaft, means to drive said shaft, a driven shaft connected with said flexible-shaft, and a driving member on said driven shaft, of a spring-pressed movable bearing-sleeve for said driven shaft, feeding mechanism for wire, such mechanism consisting in part of a driven member adapted to be actuated from said driving member, means to actuate said hearing-sleeve, against the resiliency of the spring, to carry said driving member into contact with said driven member, and a tubular guidefor said wire, said guide being connected with said feeding mechanism and with said arm.

33. The combination, in a machine of the class described, with a block provided with arms, shafts journaled in said block, a driving member, a gear, and a feed wheel mounted on one of said shafts, a gear and a feed wheel mounted on the other of said shafts, said gears intermeshing, and said feed wheels being in position to grasp a wire between them, a tubular member connected with one of said arms, said member serving as a guide for wire after the same passes between-said wheels, a *movable supporting member for said guide, and a bearing-sleeve movably mounted on another of said arms, of a shaft j ournaled in said bearing-sleeve, a driving member secured to said last-named shaft in operative position relative to said driven member, driving means, including a flexibleshaft, for said shaft in said bearingsleeve, and means to operate said bearingsleeve to carry said driving member into and out of contact with said driven member.

84. The combination, in a machine of the class described, with a loosely connected supporting arm, a tubular guide for wire, said guide being connected with said arm, a handle mounted on said guide, feed mechanism for such wire, said mechanism being connected with said guide, and consisting in part of a driven member, of driving mechanism for said feeding mechanism, said driving mechanism comprising a fiexible shaft and a driving member, means normally to retain said driving and driven members out of engagement, and means to cause said members to become engaged.

35. The combination, in a machine of the class described, with feeding mechanism for wire, such mechanism comprising a supporting member provided with arms, shafts loosely journaled in said member, intermeshing gears secured to said shafts, and feed wheels also secured to said shafts, of driving mechanism for said feeding mechanism, such driving mechanism comprising {(actuated into and out of engagement with {said driven member.

36. The combination, in a machine of the class described, With feed mechanism for wire, such i'i'iechanism comprising a supporting member, shafts loosely journaled in said member, intermeshing gears secured to said shafts, and feed Wheels also secured to said shafts, and a spring arranged to cause said Wheels-to approach each other, of driving mechanism for said feed mechanism, such driving mechanism comprising a driven. member on one of said shafts, and a driving member for said driven member, and movable supporting means for said driving member, whereby the same may be actuated into and out of engagement With said driven member.

37. The combination, in a machine of the class described, With a block provided with a guide arm for Wire, and With supporting arms, shafts journaled in said block, a driving member, a gear, and a feed Wheel mount ed on one of said shafts, a gear and a feed wheel mounted on the other of said shafts, said gears intermeshing, and said feed Wheels being in position to grasp a Wire between them after such Wire has passed through said guide arm, 'a tubular guide connected with one of said supporting arms, and arranged to receive said Wire after it leaves said wheels, a movable supporting member for said guide, and a bearing-sleeve movably mounted on the other of said supporting arms, of a shaft journaled in said bearing-sleeve, a driving member secured to said last-named shaft in operative position relative to said driven member, driving mechanism, including a flexibleshaft, for said shaft in said bearing-sleeve, and means to operate said bearing-sleeve to carry said driving member into and out of contact with said driven member. 7

38. In a machine of the class described, a tubular guide for wire, said guide having at its free end an extension to form a guidelinger Which is angular in cross section, the free terminal portion of said guide being chamfered on the underside.

39. In a machine of the class described,

FRANK l/V. SIOKLES.

Witnesses:

A. RAoUL SILBER, F. A. CUTTER. 

